About LIMC

The Lancaster Inter-Municipal Committee (LIMC) is a council of governments (COG) established to address intermunicipal challenges and concerns in central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. As a COG, the LIMC is an intergovernmental cooperation agreement in itself. It provides a perpetual legal ability for an LIMC municipality to act cooperatively or jointly with another LIMC municipality with respective responsibilities and activities. It encourages and facilitates intermunicipal cooperation, helps coordinate multi-municipal programs or endeavors, undertakes projects that will benefit its member municipalities, and provides a forum for municipal officials to discuss issues of mutual interest. 

The LIMC began as an informal group in the 1960's, with officials from several municipalities getting together to discuss local government issues. It was active sporadically until 1989, when it acquired staff support for the first time and its work program began to expand. Since then, it has been involved in a variety of activities, including  regional comprehensive planning, regional park and open space planning,  recommending creation of the Lancaster County Transportation Authority,  preparing sample ordinances, establishing a regional board of appeals for Uniform Construction Code issues, publishing newsletters, sharing  information among municipalities, communicating with legislators and  County Commissioners on legislative and community issues, regional  storm water management programs, Road Masters Forum, and conducting  workshops for municipal officials and staff. In 1995 the LIMC reorganized to become a council of governments (COG) under the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Law (Act 180 of 1972). Each of the LIMC municipalities adopted the LIMC Agreement via ordinance as required by Act 180. The law allows two or more municipalities to cooperate jointly in the exercise or performance of their respective governmental functions, powers, or responsibilities. 

The  members of the LIMC are the City of Lancaster; Boroughs of  Columbia, East Petersburg, Millersville, and Mountville; and the Townships of East Hempfield, East Lampeter, Lancaster, Manheim, Manor, Pequea, West Hempfield, and West Lampeter. 

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The LIMC area is located  in central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The region comprised of the  members indicated above represent approximately 30% of  the Lancaster County population.

The LIMC operates under an intergovernmental cooperation agreement dated September 13, 1995, when it became a formal council of governments under the Intergovernmental Cooperation Law (Act 180 of 1972, Act 177 of 1996, and Act 13 of 2001). The Committee-of-the-Whole is all the elected officials in the LIMC municipalities. The LIMC generally holds a regular monthly meeting at 7:30 a.m. on the second Wednesday of each month, with the meeting locations rotating among the member municipalities. Those who take action at meetings are elected officials of the member municipalities or their designees. Each municipality has one vote.

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The LIMC Agreement is a standard, yet broad, intergovernmental cooperation agreement adopted via ordinance. It provides flexibility to the LIMC municipalities for considering and facilitating multi-municipal programs or activities, while providing the legal framework required for intermunicipal cooperation. 

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• LIMC Agreement
   

In September 2012, the municipalities of the LIMC approved four amendments to the original LIMC Agreement. The LIMC Agreement previously authorized cooperative and joint programs outlined in the amendments. However, the amendments provide more specific language to the activities and programs outlined.  The amendments further describe steps individual municipalities need to take in order to legally act cooperatively under the LIMC Agreement.

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• Natural Resource Protection Division (NRPD) Amendment
   
• Transportation Coordination Division (TCD) Amendment
   
• Outfall Mapping Program Amendment
   
• Associate Member Amendment